A buck converter is a DC-to-DC power converter and is a class of switched-mode power supply. A buck converter can be used to step-down a supply voltage to a level suitable to power a device. Switching converters, such as buck converters, provide greater power efficiency than linear regulators. Buck converters can operate in a continuous conduction mode (CCM) or a discontinuous conduction mode (DCM). Buck converters operating in a continuous conduction mode typically operate at a higher switching frequency than converters operating in a discontinuous mode. The higher operating frequency of a CCM buck converter contributes to higher switching losses compared to DCM buck converters. A disadvantage of DCM buck converters is that a current provided by the converter is typically dependent on the magnitude of the supply voltage received at the converter.
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